Ts. Dr. Muzafar Zulkifli, Director of the Centre for STEM Enhancement & TVET (CSET) at Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), has once again made history as the youngest recipient of the prestigious National Standards and Accreditation Award for 2023/24, presented by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).
The award ceremony took place during MITI Day on 1st October 2024, where Dr. Muzafar was honoured for his exceptional contributions to standards development both nationally and internationally.
Notably, he was also the youngest recipient of a Fellowship title from an industrial association in March 2022.
This highly regarded award is presented annually to the top five individuals who have made significant contributions to standards development at the national and international levels.
MITI Minister, YB Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, officiated the event, while YBrs. Dato’ Hairil Yahri Yaacob, MITI’s Chief Secretary, presented the awards.
Each recipient received a certificate of appreciation and RM5,000 as a token of recognition for their achievements.
When contacted, Dr. Muzafar expressed his gratitude, stating, “Achieving this honour at a relatively young age is indescribable, but most importantly, it brings immense pride to represent UniKL in the broader industry circle, both locally and internationally.”
In 2023, the international standardization community, specifically the ISO TC61 Technical Committee in the field of Plastics, nominated Dr. Muzafar for the award via the Department of Standards Malaysia (DSM). MITI, which oversees DSM, selected him from over 2,000 national experts across various fields.
Dr. Muzafar’s involvement in developing national and international standards dates back to 2006, when he actively participated in the National Standard Committee for Plastics (NSC 10).
He is a member of the Technical Committees TC1 (General Purpose Plastics) and TC4 (Polyolefins), and has served as Chair of TC3 (Plastic Products) since 2022.
He has represented Malaysia as a national expert at ISO TC61 meetings in various international cities, including Barcelona, Hawaii, Saitama, Chengdu, and Stockholm, under the sponsorship of the Malaysian government.
Since 2015, more UniKL academics have been involved in National Standard Committees (NSCs) across various fields, representing general users, industries, universities, and local authorities.
This growing participation reflects the recognition of UniKL’s expertise in standards development.
